Asset sales referendum is a go!

Asset sales petition organisers say they have the numbers of signatures for a referendum. (h/t mickysavage) However, to be sure, they will continue to collect signatures up until the time to submit the petition at the end of January. Congratulations and thanks to all who have worked so hard on the petition.

Grey Power national president Roy Reid said the group had collected more than 340,000 signatures, allowing for a percentage of signatures that did not meet the requirements under the Citizen Initiated Referendum Act.

After checking the figures at the end of 2012, Mr Reid was confident they now had the numbers to push through the referendum. …

Mr Reid said the anti-asset-sales coalition would continue to collect signatures over the new few weeks, before the petition was presented to Parliament when it opened again in the last week of January.

This should mean the campaign then shifts from collecting signatures to presenting the case against asset sales. The referendum question is;

“Do you support the Government selling up to 49 per cent of Meridian Energy, Mighty River Power, Genesis Power, Solid Energy and Air New Zealand?”

While a high proportion of New Zealanders still support john Key, most New Zealanders are against asset sales. The Herald on Sunday reported on the 30 December 2012 that:

New Zealanders are loath to relinquish even a partial ownership share in national assets such as power companies – but the asset sales debate hasn’t harmed the Government’s polling one jot. …

Yet despite the opposition to the asset sales, Prime Minister John Key continues to enjoy unmatched favour in the Key Research- Herald on Sundaypoll: 59.8 per cent of eligible voters nominate him their preferred leader.

If an election were held tomorrow, 46.9 per cent of voters would tick the National box. As long as National’s coalition partners in Act and United Future held their electorate seats, John Key would be returned to the Beehive as Prime Minister.

However, the article also reports that:

A Key Research- Herald on Sunday poll reveals three out of five Kiwis want to keep tight hold of the country’s engine room. Only 32.1 per cent of eligible voters support the Government’s mixed-ownership model for Mighty River Power, Genesis, Meridian, Solid Energy and an increased sale of Air NZ; 59.2 per cent oppose the sales.

Those aged between 45 and 64 years – the voting bloc that lived through the dismantling of state-owned enterprises during the 80s – are the strongest opponents of the sales.

Organisers of a petition to force a national referendum on the asset sales told the Herald on Sunday they had now topped the magic number of 310,000 signatures and will present the petition to Parliament’s clerk next month.

Everyone of all voting ages need to be provided with the evidence that shows sale of the power companies will be very bad fro all New Zealanders, and to be encouraged to vote in the referendum.

And let’s not forget just before Christmas an OAI showed Treasury had warned against the rushed asset sales. meanwhile there’s still a further court challenge by Maori groups over water rights.

Related

92 comments on “Asset sales referendum is a go!”

Particular kudos to the Greens. While union, Labour, and Greypower members have done a great job of gathering signatures, the Greens (and a special shout-out to Lalia) have really organised around this issue and brought a lot of signatures in while also using it to build themselves a solid presence in Auckland – something that hadn’t previously been able to do and something that will stand them in good stead going into 2014. It warms my heart to see such solid organising on the Left.

It’s a great outcome!!!! But I can’t help but cringe at the observation the Greens have once again taken a Labour policy, made it their own, and managed to do in a short time what Labour failed to do for years.

No need go cringe. It just shows that a United Left can achieve .
Let’s stop on squabbling and one up- man- ship. and practice the true slogan of the Left.United we Stand . Divided we Fall. It’s never been true than it is today.

People respond to incentives. Splash the cash and people will commit. I think it’s why paying for votes is outlawed and political parties rely on volunteers to canvas.

Not that this having all the signatures a wit of difference, being non-binding like the smacking referendum. What a laugh if this referendum were to get less support for anti-asset sales than for anti-smacking.

I would say, among the general public that keeping assets like power companies has more support than the amendment to remove justifications for beating children (aka the so-called “anti-smacking bill”).

The more people hear about the damage that will be done by the sale of power companies, the more government support will drop.

From memory, the electoral commission is obligated to hold a referendum (nothing to do with Key). They will decide when it gets called with some kind of limits on when it must be called – the latest would be the next general election.

Yeah… and some of them were actually Labour’s. I went to local flea market one morning… collected 8 pages of signatures… was in a hurry to get away so left them at the nearest table – the Green table. I know at least one other person who did the same.

On a number of occasions when I was collecting there were Labour and Green activists working together on collecting signatures. It was a really good feeling really. hopefully this camaraderie will continue.

No doubt in the next “Shearer Sayzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz” we’ll read how this great initiative by the Pointy-Haired Boss shows that all Labour “followers” are behind him*, and oh, yeah, thanks to the Greens for providing tea and scones.

*and it’s a “good start to the year” and they’re “holding the government to account” yadda yadda yadda.

It’s not so much a left right issue anymore especially with the crap going down about water in Hamilton, many Tories are seeing the plight their retired parents are having and realise it’ll be a lot tougher for them.

People see how much of their utilities bill would go into foreign hands over the coming decades rather than nz or network reinvestment just so Johnny and bill can pay down a few billion of the many they’ve recklessly racked up with tax cuts and standing back after kicking the economy down a hill.

Its fantastic that the people will have a say on asset sales, however the problem we have is even though people know Key/National would sell assets and they didnt want those assets sold they still cast votes for Key/National. Labour has to produce a new direction that presents a real alternative to National, both in the form of a Leader and well articulated policy. Labours message was not heard under Goff and Shearer has done nothing to show he can articulate anything.

This is the chalenge for Labour its not good enough to just oppose shit policy, people want to be lead. What I have seen is the Greens have done a better job of opposing asset sales the Greens have a brand, mean while Labour are not inspiring anything.

I don’t think that is strictly fair CGv. Labour also had a well run “Stop Asset Sales” brand. Overall, I think both Greens and Labour have had an equal amount of publicity over the issue. Since Nov. 2008, it’s the one area where Labour/Goff/Shearer did well. There can be no real complaints.

Greens have a better brand than Labour now in my opinion. A brand Anne means people know what something is or stands for, a good brand produces emotional linkages weather they are warranted or not. The Greens are being very clever with their pictures (Billboard signage) during elections and use of words in media and sound bites on TV and Radio.

I can tell you I personally got many emails from the Greens on asset sales encouraging me to get signatures and the communication was positive in comparison I got uninspiring communication from Labour. As a Labour member we in Labour need to learn to change or we will be even more irrelevant at the next election.

The title of leading Opposition Party needs to be re-earned by Labour. They have resources, expertise and experience within their organisation which in theory outmatches the Greens. However, the potential is not being realised, and in some senses has been squandered.

Before you rush off and unscrew the lid off the bottle of chardy that you saved for a special occasion it may pay to rethink point 3. The CIR will not affect the rollout any more than Goffs lame “you can’t buy it back” election speeches.

Let’s not kid ourselves here. At least Karol is being honest when she points out the real incentive of opposing asset sales at a political level.

“The more people hear about the damage that will be done by the sale of power companies, the more government support will drop”

“Before you rush off and unscrew the lid off the bottle of chardy that you saved for a special occasion it may pay to rethink point 3.”

Nope, I’m gonna stick by point 3. I didn’t say the referendum would stop the asset sales, (Key’s too arrogant to respect the will of the people, he’ll just moan on about how people just don’t get it and he knows best despite being a failure in every other area of government), I said the people will tell them to shove it. See if you can figure out the difference.

Are the opposition hoping to score political points here? Of course they are. But does that mean they are not allowed to pursue a referendum on an issue important to all NZers? Of course not. If you’re saying that the opposition cares less about stopping the sales and more about scoring a political win, then that’s your opinion. I think that at least for the Greens, they genuinely realize that the sales are bad for the country and don’t want to see them happen.

Polls show that NZers don’t want these sales. The opposition is representing the will of the people on this matter, isn’t that what political parties are supposed to do? Maybe the referendum won’t stop the sales, but if helps to wake people up to Key and NAct’s arrogant contempt for democracy, then that’s a meaningful result I say.

I’ll be holding off on the chardy until this bunch of incompetent front men and women are kicked out by Lab/Green and John Key says “Ackshully New Ziland, I’ve been great,” and pisses off to his next corporate money making scheme.

Not sure what the problem is. There’s a CIR coalition that includes political parties. Members of political parties are citizens. Nats can support CIRs if they want. I recall Nat mps collected for pro-smacking referendum

The proposal is certainly an interesting one. If you are so sure that it is “definitely” going to happen can you please provide a link to a senior MP, or any MP for that matter, in either the Labour or the Green party caucuses who has said it? They of course are the only ones who could do it and they have, as far as I have seen, all kept very well clear of any such statements.
Simply having an anonymous commenter on a blog propose it certainly doesn’t make it something that will “definitely” occur.
Incidentally Another Viper’s proposal would make it a wonderful investment as a guaranteed return of 10% pa is vastly better than any other investment that is around at the moment.

I agreed with this until the thought occurred to me that this would be a recipe for asset stripping the SOEs, particularly when it comes to any overseas assets and any cash assets they might have in hand. In the lead up to the election everything the SOEs would have of value would be sold off, a special dividend would be paid to shareholders and then the new government would be stuck with buying back a shell for more than what it’s worth.

The only way this is going to be stopped is either through the courts or making it politically untenable for the government.

Probably 10,000th of the cost that of $120 million govt(National party propaganda paid for by us tax payers) + the extra costs of delay and the loss of income treasury predicted would be more than the cost of borrowing the same amount.That report was suppressed by National!

This seemed to be a beat up by Key and co 6 months or more ago. I haven’t seen anything on it since.

At the time, the Greens said they were being transparent about the money spent on the petition, with most of the signatures being gathered by volunteers. But if you have evidence on it, go for it.

In contrast there’s been a lack of transparency on the amount of money the government is using to promote their asset sales policy.

Estimates put it in the hundreds of million, as of August this year:

Official Information Act responses from Genesis Energy, Meridian Energy, and Solid Energy show that they have collectively spent over $1.3 million on preparing themselves for sale. A request for the same data on Mighty River Power, the first company up for sale, was refused by the Government and Dr Norman will be questioning the Minister of Finance on the issue today in Question Time.

These costs are additional to the $106 million in the Budget to pay for asset sales costs (of which over $10.5 million has been spent so far), the millions of dollars in Waitangi Tribunal costs, the pay-rises given to senior managers at the energy companies to bring them up to “commercial rates”, the potentially $200 million cost of a share give-away, and the $100 million a year that asset sales would add to the deficit due to the net loss of profits.

In contrast there’s been a lack of transparency on the amount of money the government is using to promote their asset sales policy.

Here we go: Others were doing it too…. It’s the way we have always done it….. National did something worse….

Let me guess, there is no need to be accountable to the tax payers because National were worse… Perhaps we had better denigrate the accusers, retrospectively validate the spending and move on ….

Why is expecting a high standard of accountability from all parties impossible – Because apologists for a flag colour hide behind ‘they did it too so it’s not fair to single out…’

You know karol – each deed by any political party should be measured for what it is – not for how bad it is compared to others. Perhaps I’ll get off a speeding ticket @ 120-kph because somebody somewhere was speeding at 125-kph… I doubt it though because I don’t have a bunch of apologists running around behind me excusing my bad deeds because others were doing it too or … doing it worse….

Burt, did you read the bit where I said the Greens had been transparent about the money spent. Not to mention Zetetic’s figures on it. And that if you had evidence go for it? Do you have any such evidence to add?

The amount of money spent by the government in relation to the (lack of) amount of economic benefit goes to the heart of the reasons for opposing the sales.

“Others were doing it too…. It’s the way we have always done it….. National did something worse….”

Thanks burt, your comprehension fail made me truly lol.

Here’s the bit you don’t seem to get. The Greens did nothing wrong. They were entitled to spend the $70,000 on the petition, and they were open about doing so. So what ‘standard of accountability’ have they breached?

Karol and Zetetic have pointed out that NAct has spent or planning to spend $120,000,000 to make the asset sales happen, but doesn’t feel like telling you where it’s going exactly. Their point is that if you’re really worried about tax payer money spending re accountability, you might want to direct your attention there instead. Else you might look like a hypocrite.

I appreciate what you’re saying mike e, $200m is much more than $70k, but I don’t like the implication, which seems to me to be buying into the spin burt is selling, than the Greens did a small thing wrong but NAct did a much bigger thing wrong.

Because… The. Greens. Did. Nothing. Wrong. They spent their money openly and as they were entitled to. NAct asset sales costs are $100m+ (wtf) but transparency is notably lacking about where that money will go, and OIA queries reveal extra undisclosed costs, (see karol’s link above). That’s the issue, not $200m is bigger than $70k.

Yes, and I can recall Bill English around the same time accusing Labour and the Greens of cheating by signing up under-voting age teenagers – and others who were not entitled to sign for one reason or another. Of course there will be individuals who are not yet naturalised and therefore not eligible to sign the petition. Most don’t realise it, and – as anyone who has ever been collecting at flea markets etc. can tell you – it’s impossible to check out the history of each and every person who signs, including their age. That’s one of the jobs of the Electoral Commission anyway – to check the signatures for validity!

I remember signing up a couple of young women (or so I thought) when the mother of one of them pointed out to me they were only 14. They looked about 18/19!

The Greens spent $70k out of their leaders office budget, money that they would have just spent on something else – like polling or advisers – otherwise. This spending was within the rules. Labour didn’t spend any of its public funding on the CIR.

So far, National has spent $23m on asset sales and they haven’t even sold any yet. there’s another hundred million budgeted, plus hundreds of millions in off-budget costs, and the permanent hundred million per year net increase in the deficit from the lost dividends.

Here’s those numbers in full so you can see the difference –
$70,000
$23,000,000
$100,000,000

Here’s John Key moaning about the Green’s ‘hypocrisy’ since they can pay for this but “…told you they don’t have enough money for Mojo Mathers to operate properly in parliament.”

Then Russell Norman points out that a) they never said that, b) they were fighting for the principle that they shouldn’t effectively be financially penalized for having an MP that needs disability support (they won), c) he wouldn’t call John Key a liar, but gee he does say a lot of stuff that he knows isn’t true, d) Key talks about hypocrisy over the Greens spending $70,000 on a petition on an issue important to all NZers, but refuses to disclose where exactly $120,000,000 asset sales related costs have gone.

I don’t even mind that it wont stop them. It’s the best non election-year initiative to get some of the 800,000 non voters engaged in civic contests since “damn the dam” Manapouri, and I wasn’t even born then!
I hope it reawakens some previous Labour members to sign up for any leadership challenge involving members too.

Well, this is all good for enabling the opposition parties opposed to the MOB to resume political debate and demand a referendum to be held on asset sales the government has already passed and turned into law.

But what is actually possible, and what will a referendum now achieve, besides of reactivated strong political debate?

Perhaps stop cracking the champagne corks and have a read of what the law says:

There are only provisions for an INDICATIVE referendum to be held, which would NOT bind the government. It is unlikely that the government will back off from the asset sales, as the mixed owner ship bill has been enacted now, and as the government has already made substantial preparations and announcements for the first sale(s) to start early to mid this year.

Key and consorts will simply ridicule this and frown upon the wider public’s views, and a propaganda battle will start, to “prove”, that not proceeding will mean fiscal and economic disaster, thus scaring many to perhaps rethink.

But of course, this is a welcome chance, to hammer the message home to Key and NatACT, that they are passing law against the will of the majority of NZers.

Lose the battle, win the war.
We don’t have 1970s or 1980s activism any more, to win “on the streets”.
But it will re-energise, and prepare us all to act like a coalition in waiting.
Especially the political leadership of such a coalition.

The asset sales debate is a battle between the concepts of public/collective ownership, and the benefits of such going to the wider community (ie SOE dividends to schools and hospitals, reliable power supply, etc), and the the concept of individual shareholder ownership, and the benefits in the form of dividends to ‘mum and dad’ shareholders (with the non-share holders being told to screw themselves).

This will be the defining date of 2013.

Though, I am picking that while we will lose two of the power companies, the rest of the asset sales program will be postponed till after the 2014 election, by which we hope that Labour gets its act together.

The only way Labour could possibly have its act together after the 2014 election is if there is a high enough vote for Mana/Greens and the ACT/Nat lite component of Labour are hamstrung into insignificance. Labour will have to be pulled to the left, kicking and screaming and probably thinking of a coalition with National as a government of national salvation, to keep the “extremes” of both left and right at bay. It may sound unlikely, but who would have scoffed at predictions that a good part of the 1984 Labour front bench would leave to form ACT?
I think we’ll see a cure for cancer before we see Labour collectively getting its act together.

We and the merchants we buy from all buy power everyday. That is huge leverage. If we organize, we can employ strategies that would make the sales impossible and/or unprofitable. Destroy the future value of the companies to be sold. No value; no buyers; no asset sales.

We know this non-binding referendum will not stop the sales.

If you are serious, ORGANIZE and use tactics to stop the sales, not just to try to embarrass a bunch of petty dictators who don’t give a stuff about your opinions.

Did you not get the message from Collins, Bennett, etc., about how much they respect anybody’s opinion besides their own?

A referendum will concentrate people’s minds and generate debate, and if Key & Co. get a sense that – especially in a run-up to a General Election – they have to stand against a powerful meme in the oposite direction it will concentrate their minds, too.

However they have a lot of skin in the asset sales programme – if it doesn’t go through they’re either going to have to start making a lot of cuts or be left with some nasty-looking red ink in the books, so watch out for a carefully-crafted referendum question – perhaps something along the lines of “Do you think it better that the State should own commercial power companies or provide food, shelter, medical help and education for Tiny Tim?”

There’s a better way of stopping the sales, as has been pointed out. A referendum would legitimise an Opposition promise to re-nationalise any assets sold in the interim should the vote go against the principle of the sale. Even the threat of such would blow a massive hole in any valuation.

From Wikipedia:

“During the 2008 financial crisis, Contact [Energy] decided to increase prices by up to 12% while doubling its directors’ fees. As a result, it lost more than 40,000 customers in six months – 10% of the total. Its profit was halved. Contact calls this the worst blow to its reputation in the company’s history.”

A serious campaign to urge customers to shift business away from any sold-off Power Companies could also frighten away potential investors. However any such a campaign would need to have a serious, major promoter with clout and I can’t see Labour doing it. I can see the Greens doing it, tho’, and gaining a lot of kudos by the way – in fact continuing to grow to fill the vacuum on the Left left by Labour.

(Declaration of interest – I have $50,000 coming off term deposit at the end of February in order to be buy Might River shares should they become available, unless common prudence persuades me it would not be a good investment.)

Ps. I still own all the Contact Energy shares I purchased at the float in 1999 for $3.10@ – today worth $5.38 despite a board of pea-brained, overpaid directors.

Make this a trans-party issue. There are plenty of independents and Nats who will switch power companies to block the sales. Ultimately, politicians can be counted on to disappoint you.

If there is to be a buy-back, only buy back ONE power company. Then organize consumers to all shift to that ONE state owned company. That strengthens the one state owned company and damages ALL the privately owned ones, reducing the value of their shares.

This need not be a Left/Right issue. Economically it is moronic to sell gold plated assets in order to borrow more money we can’t repay.

Oh, and don’t forget the example of the poor Irish who twice (in 2001 and 2008) voted No in referenda called to approve EU treaties and were both times told by their ‘leaders’ to do it again and get it right which after suitable arm-twisting, obfustication and scare-mongering, they did.

However they have a lot of skin in the asset sales programme – if it doesn’t go through they’re either going to have to start making a lot of cuts or be left with some nasty-looking red ink in the books,

Checked out the massive borrowing that this government has engaged in? Yeah, they’re not bothered about the red ink – they’re not the ones paying for it after all and they’re probably making money off of it. The sole purpose that this government has in selling our assets is to make themselves and their rich foreign mates richer at our expense.

Oh but they are – Bill English has hung his hat on getting back into surplus and their obvious failure to make any progress in that direction is going to be a massive millstone around this Government’s neck during the next General Election campaign. Moreover Governments clocking up the red in a recession, or to fend one off, is standard Keynsian economics generally more favoured by the Left than the Right.

I have very little doubt that if English, Graeme Wheeler et al ‘explained’ that it was necessary for the Government to run a deficit in hard times no-one in Labour would argue counter to it – in fact they’d probably claim to have said so all along.

Honestly I’m puzzled why the Government has taken this absolutist tack – apart from an attempt to appeal to the economically illiterate ‘middle-of-the-road’ voter who believes that a nation’s finances are the same as a family’s finances written large. But the asset-sales programme was always the Government’s ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ card when it came to meeting this unnecessary pledge and now it’s hung up on it.

“The sole purpose that this government has in selling our assets is to make themselves and their rich foreign mates richer at our expense.”

No, that’s just a collateral benefit. While you and I might disagree with it, believing that the State has no business owning and running power-generation companies – or any other commercial operation – is as valid and unimpeachable a belief as is believing that a wafer of bread placed on your tongue is actually the flesh of some Jewish bloke who was nailed to a cross two-thousand years ago.

Plus, Alinsky’s “economically it is moronic to sell gold plated assets in order to borrow more money we can’t repay.”

The argument is that the proceeds of sale will obviate the need to borrow as much as we might otherwise need to. And consider – when I bought my Contact shares in 1999 the Government received a nice capital sum to either pay down borrowings and thus reduce the burden on repayments, re-invest in other projects with the potential to earn even more for the country, or to build schools, hospitals, roads or other socially desireable projects. And since I bought those shares the Government has taken income tax from the dividends plus GST from all the rest that I spent on goods and services in my local economy, so the state gained both capital from me, an income stream from me and a boost to the local economy.

Tbe fact that the money the Government received from the sale was probably wasted and frittered away on non-productive projects comes down to the third-rate nature of our politicians and bureaucats, not the political principle itself which should be respected and understood even if, like me, you don’t agree with it.

FWIW I’ve added my name to the anti-asset-sale petition and disagree with the sale of the power companies at least. But then, I’d go further than many on the Left including some of the commentators on this blog by arguing that electicity should be a utility of the commons sold at no more than cost – which hardly makes it a gold-plated asset.

Oh but they are – Bill English has hung his hat on getting back into surplus and their obvious failure to make any progress in that direction is going to be a massive millstone around this Government’s neck during the next General Election campaign.

No they’re not even though they say that they are as the government being in surplus decreases profit. They know this but they don’t anyone else to know it.

Moreover Governments clocking up the red in a recession, or to fend one off, is standard Keynsian economics generally more favoured by the Left than the Right.

Two things:
1.) Governments should never borrow and thus never go into the red
2.) No matter what happens, as long as profit exists governments will run at a deficit

I know the latter seems contradictory as NZ was running at a significant government surplus in the 2000s but I think you’ll find that that was offset by other governments running at an increased deficit.

While you and I might disagree with it, believing that the State has no business owning and running power-generation companies – or any other commercial operation – is as valid and unimpeachable a belief…

Tbe fact that the money the Government received from the sale was probably wasted and frittered away on non-productive projects comes down to the third-rate nature of our politicians and bureaucats, not the political principle itself which should be respected…

Considering that selling assets has consistently made us worse off then no it shouldn’t. A persons beliefs should only ever be respected if they’re backed by reality and state assets sales aren’t backed by reality and neither is the idea that the private sector does it better.

I think the 2013 campaign around the referendum should be multi-pronged: communicating far and wide how damaging the sales will be; plus added campaigns as mentioned to undermine the sales; people shifting their power providers away from those being prepared for privatisation.

The politicians aren’t going to get that chance. The question is (theoretically, at least) set by the Clerk of the House of Representatives.

The biggest surprise in all of this is how invisible the petition has been. I’ve never seen people canvassing for signatures anyware. Compare this with the Family Fist child-abuse referendum which was hawked around constantly by its promoters – the local one of whom, after it initially failed, went around claiming that everyone had to re-sign it.

A headlined Stuff article on the continued rising cost of liiving in 2013:

Apart from other worries to do with the high cost of living many are likely to experience in 2013, the article includes the added problem of rising power prices as the powercos are prepared for privatisation:

Labour MP Jacinda Ardern said the rising cost of living was a direct result of the National Government's failure to develop an economic plan.

"This survey shows the Government's failure is hitting Kiwis in the pocket with increases in GST, increases in fuel tax and price rises as the Government prepares assets for sale – and that's going to get worse, not better.

Interesting to note that the Herald’s only comment was its Leader Article condemning the call for a referendum (not online as far as I can find) and the SST leader article also condemning the campaign as as a waste of time as Key will simply trample over the result and, with English’s conivance, simply proceed before the referendum is conducted. (also not online?).

The argument seems to be that KeY campaigned on hocking off the family silver and won the election therefore any questioning of KeY’s competence on this issue, through a CIR, is a waste of resources and a further discrediting of CIR, the Labour Party and the Greens.

In another sign the City Rail Link is getting ever closer, Auckland Transport have also produced this information highlighting the impacts the construction will have on the surrounding area for users. There are a couple of significant impacts with the… ...

There are many good reasons for not sending NZ troops to support the US campaign against the Islamic State in Iraq. Thursday 5 March, there will be vigils to express opposition to the deployment: No military deployment in Iraq: Nationwide… ...

This morning's Herald has not one but two opinion pieces on the Northland by-election. First, here's Bryan Rudman: The March 28 Northland byelection had the makings of a real nailbiter if Labour had stood aside and made it a two-horse… ...

A Heart Foundation billboard depicting 'NZ's biggest killer' has been defaced with a sketch of Prime Minister John Key. The billboard aimed at raising awareness of heart disease as "New Zealand's biggest killer" will now have to be taken… ...

. . In his recent statement to Parliament, Dear Leader Key made this commitment to the people of New Zealand when announcing that troops would be sent to Iraq; “The deployment will be reviewed after nine months and will be… ...

Brian Leyland has written an op-ed in the herald that is so comically wrong it’s hard not to ignore. Every single one of the 13 paragraphs contains (often basic) factual errors or opinion masquerading as fact. So I thought I’d… ...

by Phil DuncanMoney can’t buy me love, went the old Beatles song. Perhaps Mana and the left currents within it should’ve taken the Beatles’ point to heart.Although the sections of the left that supported Mana and the InternetMana… ...

Press Release – iPredict Voters in Ireland are overwhelmingly expected to vote to allow same-sex marriage in a referendum on 22 May , according to the combined wisdom of the 8000+ registered traders on New Zealands predictions market, iPredict.… ...

Look, I know you are all fired up about this Asian foreign driver thing. But just stop it. Now. You are the last nation on Earth to be complaining about foreign drivers. You are the most reckless, selfish and unthinking drivers… ...

The quashing of the convictions of Teina Pora for the rape and murder of Susan Burdett in 1992 has shone a spotlight once again on a major gap in the New Zealand justice system. To all intents and purposes, access… ...

A report from economics consultancy Econometrics estimates that New Zealand could save $10 million per lunar month if all the work that goes into solving sudoku puzzles were automated. The setting of sudoku is already largely computerised. If the solving… ...

Economic Policies for an Incoming Labour Government By Bryan Gould and George Tait EdwardsPart 2 of 9: Stimulating Wealth Creation If we are to find that better way, we must clearly understand the failures and deficiencies of what has gone… ...

Income Equality Aotearoa New Zealand Inc. Closing the Gap MEDIA RELEASE: 3rd March 2015 “We are delighted to see that the politicians have recognised the greed and selfishness embodied in their initial response to their remuneration increases and are now… ...

So there I was, confidently predicting that Winston Peters wouldn’t risk the humiliation of losing in the Northland by-election… At the end of the day, perhaps the most important point is that Winston Peters really doesn’t like losing. He won’t put himself forward as… ...

Guest Post by Ryan Mearns, Generation ZeroAs we outlined yesterday Auckland Council’s transport budget options in the Long Term Plan offered a false choice. Build everything in the Auckland Plan Network at the cost of finding an extra $300 million a… ...

New Zealanders have been going to the polls for the better part of 150 years. And over that time, voting has changed dramatically. For example, drunkenness, bribery and double voting are no longer considered just part of the day! Thankfully!… ...

Welcome to Australia, where if you don't like the government's racist refugee deportation policies, their airline collaborator will ban you from flying:Qantas has banned a Melbourne man from flying with them after he asked to be removed from a flight… ...

The development of new knowledge and technology is growing at a faster rate than ever before and successful businesses generally have to remain at the cutting edge of their industries to survive. We are now operating in a global, interconnected… ...

One of the predictions about climate change is that climate change-induced drought and famine will lead to more wars. Sadly, it turns out that what is happening in Syria is one of those wars:Drawing one of the strongest links yet… ...

“Do we want to be a society that is supportive, that is inclusive and compassionate, where it is acknowledged that not all can prosper, where those who are most vulnerable, most in need of help, are not seen as lazy… ...

Howie Tamati, sole Maori councillor on the New Plymouth District Council, sees the granting of Maori wards on local councils as a step in the right direction, “not the right answer but a start” (Insight, Radio NZ, March 1st). He… ...

This is a really good post on Christchurch’s future cycling infrastructure. I don’t have a huge amount to add to it, but would suggest you read it, if you prefer your cycling analysis to be backed up by research rather… ...

Gallant Deeds: New Zealand SAS troopers returning from a bitter fire-fight at the Kabul Intercontinental Hotel, Afghanistan, June 2011. The NZ Defence Force is fanatical in its determination to control the totality of information emerging from the theatres in which its… ...

I was wondering why there’s been so much media about the $168,000 rude cake on Facebook HRT finding, and then I read the Tribunal decision which you can find here. It is very long, and amazing in a way that can’t… ...

As readers know, John Key has decided to change the law to change a proposed 5% pay increase for MPs into a 1-2% increase instead. First, this is really smart politics. People hate paying MPs anything, so paying them less… ...

Cry Havoc! For the first time in many years a major New Zealand Christian denomination has come out in support of military action. But have the Catholic Bishops interpreted their Church's "Just War Doctrine" correctly? (Graphic: Warmonger by John… ...

This bulletin inventories reactions to recent revelations made about Wiilie Soon's relationship with the fossil fuel industry while employed by the Smithsonian Institution at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. This bulletin also functions as a supplementary reading list to Dana's recently posted… ...

Let’s be clear: constitutionally, the Executive decides where and how troops are deployed. John Key did not need Parliament’s approval to go to war. And let’s be clear: Key is going to war. Iraq is at war. Training its… ...

Press Release – Doctors for Healthy Trade A careful assessment of what could happen to the health of New Zealanders under the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) is needed, say New Zealand doctors. An Australian report Negotiating Healthy Trade in… ...

Press Release – Public Health Association of Australia A report released today by a large team of academics and non-government health organisations reveals that the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) poses risks to the health of Australians in areas such as… ...

Professor Shiba knew that some day he might be captured by the Yamatais – he, who alone knew the secrets of the ancient monster race that would soon rise up to conquer the world. So he patiently stored himself in… ...

Is this for real? Mike Hosking equates jobs, such as his, a talking head with a soldier’s deployment in Iraq? Please tell me this man is joking? Unbelievable. Is this the ‘get some guts’ that Key talks about? Getting guts… ...

by Danios Below, I have reproduced a year-by-year timeline of America’s wars, which reveals something quite interesting: since the United States was founded in 1776, she has been at war during 214 out of her 235 calendar… ...

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery so we were extremely flattered to see Auckland Transport today start using the images below to advertise some of the benefits of the City Rail Link. … ...

Policy Quarterly has just published papers from a symposium on distributional inequality held last June. There are really interesting papers by Geoff Bertram, Phillip Morrison, Bill Rosenberg and Simon Chapple et al which you may want to read for yourself.read&hellip; ...

Bartholomew Leading A broken rib is no big deal. Sure, it hurts like Hell, but three or more broken ribs hurt worse and, snapped and broken and freely moving under the weight and pressure of a 280lb man can… ...

Tony Abbott's visit to New Zealand gave Australian political commentators another excuse to highlight the failings of his leadership, by comparing him with John Key. However, their list of John Key's successes is a little... odd:Key has, with a minimum… ...

The fight against Islamic State is not the fight of the oppressor against the disposed and the poor. Its leaders and disciples are mostly educated and middle class, if not wealthy. It’s the victims in Iraq and Syria who are the poor.read more ...

Share this:

Related

The Privy Council’s decision to quash Teina Pora’s convictions for the rape and murder of Susan Burdett could be the final chapter in a case that should have been closed years ago, Labour’s Justice Spokesperson Jacinda Ardern says. “Teina Pora… ...

The current and previous Revenue Ministers must front up and explain how the child support system had a budget blowout from $30 million to $210 million in just four years, says Labour’s Revenue spokesperson Clayton Cosgrove. “Peter Dunne was Revenue… ...

A review of the way MPs’ pay is set should also look at ways to curb excessive rises in the salaries of public service chief executives, Labour Leader Andrew Little says. “Some of these CEOs have had stratospheric pay increases… ...

The minimum wage rose by 50 cents this month from 14.25 to 14.75. While it’s a small step towards ensuring minimum workers get a fair share, it’s important to remember that real wages only rose 1.5% while productivity rose by… ...

It should seem obvious to employers, private or public, that it’s important to do what you can to retain your best, most experienced staff. They make life easier for you because they’re effective, attentive and often respected by those around… ...

That ban was widely hailed, and spurred efforts in other countries to get similar bans. However, apes are still being exploited, abused and killed, both in captivity and in the wild. Examples of cruelty, neglect and abuse abound. Apes are… ...

The only word to describe the latest building consent figures for Auckland is ‘tragic’, Labour’s Housing spokesperson Phil Twyford says. “Whatever the Government is doing to address the Auckland housing crisis, it is clearly not working. ...

A pest which could create havoc for New Zealand’s horticulture and agriculture sector must be as much a focus for the Government as hunting out fruit flies, Labour’s Biosecurity spokesperson Damien O’Connor says. “While the Ministry for Primary Industries is… ...

Despite new evidence showing that cuts to health spending are costing lives the Government continues to deny the sector is struggling, Labour’s Health spokesperson Annette King says. “Health services in New Zealand are in crisis. ...

When Hekia Parata became aware that the Whangaruru charter school was experiencing major problems her first action was to drop standards by reducing the number of qualified teachers they had to employ, Labour’s Education spokesperson Chris Hipkins has revealed. “Hekia… ...

John Key and Bill English need to be straight with New Zealanders about the damage their failure to diversify the economy is doing, after new figures show export growth plunged due to a collapse in dairy exports, says Grant Robertson.… ...

This week the International Monetary Fund released a report on the wider economic value in closing the gender pay gap. When even the bastions of free-market economics start to raise concerns about gender pay gaps, we have to realise how… ...

Labour will hold National to its promise to increase the support given to new parents of premature, multiple birth and babies born with disabilities, Labour’s paid parental leave campaigner Sue Moroney says. "I am naturally disappointed that after battling for… ...

Steven Joyce’s confession that he can no longer guarantee a pillar-free design for the New Zealand International Convention Centre shows the Government has abandoned its dream of creating an ‘iconic’ ‘world-class’ structure, says Labour Economic Development spokesperson David Clark. “Steven… ...

John Key might want to have a quiet word with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott about Canberra's just-announced crack down on offshore speculators when he visits New Zealand this week, Labour's Housing spokesperson Phil Twyford says."Tony Abbott's centre right government… ...

National backbencher Jacqui Dean has spoken out about overseas driver crashes, putting herself at odds with Prime Minister John Key who is on record as saying it’s not a big issue, Labour’s Transport spokesperson Phil Twyford says. “I’m not surprised… ...

Last week I heard two Palestinians speak at Wellington events about the ongoing crisis in their country. Samar Sabawi spoke to a full house about the history of Palestine and gave us a lucid and disturbing account of the situation… ...

An Amnesty International report has once again criticised New Zealand’s track record on looking after our kids, Labour’s Children’s spokesperson Jacinda Ardern says. The annual report, which looks at global human rights abuses highlights not only the fact that high… ...

It is clear that the first draft of the Māori Language Bill was about structures and funding rather than the survival of te reo Māori, Labour’s Māori Development Spokesperson Nanaia Mahuta says. “Labour is pleased that the Minister of Māori… ...

This week the Greens have participated in awareness activity about Manus Island, the refugee camp on an island in Papua New Guinea where Australia dumps asylum seekers. John Key says that he has every confidence in the Australian Government’s claim… ...

James Shaw has been doing a series of blogs on the Election Inquiry into last year’s general election. I thought this was a great opportunity to raise an issue very dear to me – accessible voting. Last year’s general election… ...

Housing will continue to be a big issue in 2015. The latest Consumer Price Index, released last month, shows both good news and bad news on the housing front. After years of being the most expensive place to build a… ...

It is amazing that you can hear the song of the endangered North Island kokako in South Auckland’s Hunua Ranges, less than 50 kms from the central city. A heavy schedule of policy workshops at the Green Party’s Policy… ...

The Cricket World Cup has just opened in New Zealand, and it’s an opportunity for us to shine on the world stage. International sport can be a chance for us to build relationships with other countries, and examine what it… ...

This week it was my privilege to work with Sri Lankan Tamil communities in this country and host Australian journalist and human rights advocate Trevor Grant. I knew a bit about Trevor from his biography but I didn’t know just… ...

The Government is about to progress the final stages of the Animal Welfare Amendment bill. This will be our last opportunity to get changes made to improve the bill to ensure a better outcome for animals. I have put forwards… ...

Access to buildings is a big issue for many New Zealanders. It looks like that, due to the hard work and persistence of people in the disability community, the Government may finally be starting to take access to buildings seriously.… ...

The Green Party today called on the New Zealand Superannuation Fund (the Fund) to divest from fossil fuels, starting immediately with coal. The call was accompanied with a new report, Making money from a climate catastrophe: The case for divesting… ...

The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming Labour Party revenue spokesperson, Clayton Cosgrove’s, challenge to former and current Revenue Ministers Peter Dunne and Todd McClay over the IRD’s child support cost blowout. Yesterday the Taxpayers’ Union alerted ...

Today 350 Aotearoa has launched a petition calling for TSB Bank to make a commitment to being fossil fuel free. The petition comes after TSB Bank, the Taranaki community-owned bank, last week announced it had written down its remaining $53.9… ...

Voters in Ireland are overwhelmingly expected to vote to allow same-sex marriage in a referendum on 22 May , according to the combined wisdom of the 8000+ registered traders on New Zealand’s predictions market, iPredict. Elsewhere in Europe, the ...

Susan Burdett was raped and murdered in her home in March 1992. In May 1994 Teina Pora (“the Appellant”) was convicted of the rape and murder of Ms Burdett and the aggravated burglary of her home. In 1999 the New… ...

Peace vigils calling for increased humanitarian assistance and diplomatic support for Middle East peace processes, and opposing the military deployment to Iraq, will be held around the country from Hokianga to Dunedin at 5pm on Thursday, 5 March. ...

The Privy Council’s upholding of the Teina Pora appeal is further evidence New Zealand needs a Criminal Cases Review Panel, Dean of the University of Canterbury’s School of Law, Associate Professor Chris Gallavin says. ...

The Privy Council’s upholding of the Teina Pora appeal is further evidence New Zealand needs a Criminal Cases Review Panel, Dean of the University of Canterbury’s School of Law, Associate Professor Chris Gallavin says. ...

A careful assessment of what could happen to the health of New Zealanders under the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) is needed, say New Zealand doctors. An Australian report Negotiating Healthy Trade in Australia: Health Impact Assessment ...

Youth organisation, Generation Zero, is today launching a report - Fix Our City: An analysis of the Transport Budget in the 2015 - 2025 Long Term Plan - that proposes that Auckland Council focuses on a transport budget that prioritises… ...

“We are delighted to see that the politicians have recognised the greed and selfishness embodied in their initial response to their remuneration increases and are now proposing to amend the appropriate legislation. About time! ” ...